The World Ends With Us
by SixPathsOfPain
Summary: The two were thrust into a world that neither understood; a world of contant fighting. They become friends and learn to trust in each other. Before long, Luneth wonders why he needs Zidane so much, and why he just can't keep his eyes off his friend.M Ratd
1. Part One

What's up, people! This is just one of the ideas that crept into my head as i was playing Dissidia: Final Fantasy. I've never written anything before, so i hope you all like! If you do then comment me please :) It's good for the confidence :D

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Part One - Some Days are strange.

Our story begins with a boy, a young knight who saved his world once, and is now called upon again to defend all existence. This is unknown to him at this time, for his journey is just beginning. We join him at the start. The beginning of all things and, if he fails, the end.

"Agh!" Emerald eyes shot open. The boy who owned them sat bolt upright and immediately winced at the pain in his back. Struggling to his feet, he scanned his surroundings, keeping a hand locked around the sword on his belt. The landscape was unfamiliar and he had certainly never been there before. He was in a vast field, surrounded by forrests so dense that nothing could be seen past the huge tree trunks but pure darkness. Wincing, the boy looked up at the sky and felt a knot in his stomach.

"I've never seen storm clouds as dark as these." He murmered to himself as he stared up at the black clouds that covered every inch of sky for miles around. His attention on the skies was broken when the absurd nature of his predicament became apparant to him. "_Where is this? How did i get here? I was with Ingus, then...nothing_." Immediately, the knight felt concern for his friend, who was nowhere to be seen. "Ingus!" He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth like a tube. No response. He started to panic, eyes wildly searching the clearing he was in. They fell upon an enormous oak that stood in the centre of the clearing. due to the fact it looked like it was going to rain, he started to walk over to the large tree, not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Don't move!" A cold, sharp blade was pressed against the soft flesh of the young boy's neck, who froze, eyes wide and scared. He tried to tilt his head to see who was holding it, but was rewarded with it being pressed into his neck slightly. "I said don't move!" A young, male voice ordered. The boy's mind started racing.

"_He's a bit older than me, by about 5 years or so._" The boy analysed his antagonist's voice, "_and he's scared._" A small smile crept up the side of the boy's face. Suddenly, he ducked under the blade in an impressive display of athletics, drawing his own as he did so. The attacker gasped and backstepped to avoid any possible counter attack from the boy, who had spun round to face him, sword drawn, eyes locked on his. The boy analysed how his opponent had moved after he broke free of his blade. "_He's good._" He was sure he was right, he was a genius, after all. His attacker had a second sword, but he didn't hold them as convention dictates. Instead he held them as knives. The boy recognised this as a sure sign of skill, so he wasn't going to take any chances. He settled into a combat stance and locked eyes with the older boy. His concentration faultered for a split second when he saw what looked like a tail sweep round from behind his opponent. Before he knew it, the older boy had charged him, taking advantage of the opening. The boy gasped and blocked a precise strike at his head, before using the older's own strength to throw him. Unfazed, the older twisted through the air and landed on his feet, before setting into a combat stance again. This guy was really good.

"Why d'you bring me here? Send me back!" The older boy shouted. The younger looked confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't even know why i'm here!" He replied as the two circled each other, blades ready.

"Don't lie to me! I don't know how you got me here but send me back!" The younger boy took a chance and lowered his sword.

"I didn't bring you here! I don't know why i'm here either. I just sort of...woke up here. Do you know where we are?" The older seemed reluctant to lower his guard despite the younger doing so. "Please, lower your weapons." There was a silence as the tailed boy stared him down, before sighing and putting his swords away. The distant rumble of thunder could be heard as the two stood in silence, both unwilling to get closer. Suddenly, and completely by surprise, the older spoke.

"I'm Zidane Tribal." He nodded at the younger, who was still shocked by this sudden shift in demeanour.

"M-my name's Luneth. It's n-nice to meet you." He imediately winced "_What did you say that for!_" He thought. Zidane smiled.

"You always say that to people who try to kill you?" He chuckled. Luneth smiled, feeling calmed by the different person who now stood before him.

"Well, you weren't trying to kill me, Zidane. I could tell." Luneth smiled. Zidane was impressed.

"T_his kid is impressive._" Zidane thought. He was pulled from his thoughts by a droplet of rain landing on his nose. He recoiled slightly and his tail wrapped around one of his legs. Luneth stared at this in interest.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Zidane nodded towards the tree.

"Let's get some shelter. Then maybe we could figure out what's going on." He said, ignoring the question. Luneth nodded and followed him to the centre of the clearing, by which time the rain had got heavier. The two ran to the tree and took shelter under its vast canopy. At this proximity, Luneth could understand why zidane had a tail. It was hard to explain but he didn't seem human, yet he didn't seem animal. The two stood in a rather uncomfortable silence, looking out across the rain-soaked clearing until Zidane sat down and rested his back against the tree. Seeing this, Luneth followed suit.

"So, any ideas on where this place is?" Luneth asked, trying not to get distracted by zidane's tail, which was swaying next to him. Zidane shook his head and brushed some of his hair out his eyes.

"I get the feeling," He looked over at luneth. "that this is the start of something big." Luneth didn't quite understand what he meant, but he knew how he felt; something was telling him that this was the beginning of something. He was distracted from his thoughts by something tickling his neck, like a drop of water running down it. He casually ran his hand over his neck to wipe it off and winced at the surprising amount of pain he felt. He drew his and away and looked at it, to see it was covered in blood. Zidane must've cut his neck when he crept up on him earlier. Zidane saw this and shifted so he was facing Luneth. "A-are you hurt?" Luneth hid his hand behind his back.

"n-no, i-" Suddenly he felt Zidane's fingers creeping accross the soft flesh of his neck.

"I'm sorry Luneth." He seemed genuinely upset by this. "I didn't mean to hurt you, i-" Luneth drew back a bit and locked eyes with Zidane.

"Don't worry about it, we were enemies then." Zidane smiled and rose to his feet, walking over to the boundary of the tree's cover from the rain. He stuck his hand out and cupped it. Luneth watched him with interest, noting how his tail was swirling around behind him like a serpent. Zidane turned and Luneth averted his gaze. He walked over to the younger boy and knelt down infront of him, rubbing the water on his neck.

"Here" zidane smiled. Luneth couldn't help but stare at the older boy. If he were to choose a word to describe him it would be handsome. Surprised at his own thoughgts, Luneth blushed slightly, which went unnoticed by Zidane, who withdrew his hand and sat next to the young boy, staring out across the clearing again. The two sat in silence for awhile, listening to the rain beating against the saturated ground.

"Thanks." Luneth said, breaking the silence. Zidane turned his head and smiled, not saying anything. Luneth smiled back and rested back against the tree. Neither of them knew it yet, but they had the longest of journeys ahead of them. They had only just started.

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So what did you think? I hope you liked it! Please let me know so i know weather to continue or not ^^ Thanks for reading everyone :)


	2. Part Two

Hey! Omg thanks for the reviews! :) Sorry it's been so long but I've only just moved house so things are a little hectic right now. Starting to get settled now so updates should become frequent and regular. ^^ Anyway, enough from me! On with the show!

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Part Two - Death of a Hero.  
Zidane loved it when people touched his tail. He obviously never let on, being a man and all. Something like a tail does come in handy when one tries to distinguish oneself from other men. In that way, he supposed he was more animal than human; being unique just to impress a potential mate. Zidane stirred in his sleep as that word flitted through his subconscious.

"_Mate makes it sound like i don't really care_. _Do i care?_" Zidane's troubled dreams were causing him to groan in his sleep, stirring the nearby Luneth, who was, until then, napping also. He pushed himself up a little off the ground, clumsily twisting the top half of his body round to see his troubled companion. Zidane was lying on his back, occasionally twitching and uttering inaudible grunts. Luneth blinked the sleep out of his eyes and inwardly chuckled.

"_Not so graceful now, eh?_" He thought as he observed the older boy. The smile on Luneth's face faded as his mind moved to other matters. "_Can i trust this guy? How do i know he is who he says he is?_" A strong gust of wind blew, shaking the branches of the oak giving them shelter. Luneth's ears pricked up as he heard something falling from the tree, obviously dislodged by the strong wind. Quick as a flash, before he had time to think he threw himself forward. His chest hit the floor next to Zidane, stirring him from his sleep. Zidane woke to see Luneth's face, inches from his own, and his arm laying across his chest.

"Agh!" Luneth yelped as he fell back against the dusty floor. Zidane cocked an eyebrow and watched him struggle into a sitting position again.

"_Wow, that was somewhat clumsier than our fight in the field." _Zidane thought.

"S-sorry, Zidane! Hope i d-didn't frighten you." Luneth stuttered, confusing Zidane more so.

"Ummm, what are you doing, Luneth?" Zidane asked, watching as a red colouring spread across the younger boy's face. Luneth scrambled to his feet, thrusting his arm forward.

"An acorn!" He exclaimed, louder than he had intended. Zidane's confusion peaked.

"A-an acorn?" He said, still not understanding the nature of the situation. Luneth waved his hand in front of Zidane's face, causing him to focus on the acorn he held.

"It was falling. I-i saved you from it." Zidane stifled a laugh, suddenly understanding completely what had happened. Luneth could see now how stupid he sounded. He bowed his head, hiding the degree of his blush. Zidane could see the boy was struggling so he decided to help him out.

"Hey, thanks! That could have been pretty bad if it went in my mouth. Maybe worse if it got me in the eye." Luneth looked at him, dumbstruck. At first, it seemed like the older boy was making fun of him, but it looked...kinder than that. Zidane had an honest smile on his face. His tail flicked round to his face and brushed against his left temple. "Veeery difficult to fight with only one eye, y'know!" Luneth inadvertently giggled at this before holding the acorn in front of him.

"I know how sneaky these acorns can be." He smiled, joining in with Zidane's fun. The two laughed as Luneth settled back down in front of Zidane, who lay back and stuck his arm out to Luneth. Luneth stared at it, not knowing what to do. Zidane opened his hand, still not looking at the younger boy. when Luneth took no action, he finally locked eyes with him.

"Let's have a look then. I wanna know my killer." He winked at Luneth, who dropped the acorn into his hand, inwardly cursing his uncharacteristically slow uptake. Zidane brought the acorn up to his eyes and rolled it around in his fingers, scrutinising it. "I've seen quite a lot of Gaia, and more besides, but I've never seen an acorn this colour before." Zidane murmured. Luneth hadn't really noticed when he was holding it, but he'd never seen one as bright as that either.

"Gaia? Is that a city? do you live there?" Luneth asked, sitting cross-legged as he observed Zidane like a student observes his teacher. Zidane chuckled a little.

"A city?" He threw the acorn back to Luneth, who caught it no problem. "Of course not, it's the whole..." Suddenly, Zidane sprung to his feet, causing Luneth to instinctively raise his guard. "You don't know what Gaia is?" Luneth relaxed slightly.

"N-no. I've never heard of it." Zidane's eyes grew wide as he turned his attention to the wind-battered clearing they were in. "Zidane?" Luneth inquired, trying to get his attention. He stood up and took a step towards his companion. Finally, Zidane turned to face him.

"L-luneth, Gaia is the name of the planet i live on!" Luneth was stunned into silence, before his head snapped up to the skies. He ran out into the clearing, desperately looking up into the sky. Zidane looked upon him in confusion. "What're you doing!" he shouted to counter the roar of the wind.

"Damn! There's too much cloud cover! I can't see the sun or moon, or any constellations!" Zidane raised and eyebrow, appreciating how clever the younger boy's reaction was.

"Get back under the tree! The storm's too strong!" Zidane nearly screamed. Luneth started to make his way back. The events that followed happened far too quickly for them to register on any level above instinct. A shadow descended onto Luneth, dragging him down to the floor! Zidane, seeing that in his rush, Luneth had left his sword at the base of the huge oak rushed out to assist the younger boy, but was quickly met with a kick to the stomach, strong enough to knock him back against the tree. He yelped as he hit the tree and looked up at his attacker. He gasped when he saw who it was. He was staring at a crystal-like version of Luneth! Before he had time to process the information, the assailant dashed at him, the point of his blade trained at his heart! Zidane jumped to the right, narrowly dodging a strike that would have certainly killed him had it connected. In one fluid motion, he picked his blades off the ground and settled into a combat stance, but it was too late; his opponent had already recovered from his failed attack and was upon him, trying for a second strike. Zidane tried to dodge again but cried out as he felt a blade tear through the flesh of his shoulder. As he stumbled he looked over to where the real Luneth had fell and saw his companion struggling to fight off his opponent with no weapon. He recognised the battle stance of Luneth's opponent as his own but had no time to dwell on it as he threw himself out of the way of another attack. "_What are these things?" _He thought as he blocked attack after attack, staring into the lifeless eyes of his opponent.

"Zidane!" He heard Luneth yell, "Zidane, are you oka...Agh!" Luneth was knocked down, his foe standing above him. Zidane's eyes grew wide as he saw Luneth's opponent raise his sword. Suddenly, Zidane's enemy took advantage of his distraction and gripped his arm, throwing him against the tree, causing him to drop one of his blades.

"Agh!" He yelped as his opponent advanced on him, ready to kill. "L-luneth!" He shouted, desperately glancing over the shoulder of the impostor. His own impostor stood in the spot where they fought...but no Luneth. "_H-he's dead_!" Zidane dropped his other sword and fell back against the tree. "No!" he murmured as he lowered his head, resigning himself to his fate. Luneth's impostor lunged forward, his sword piercing flesh. Zidane raised his head to find that the killing blow had not come. Someone had protected him. Someone had taken the attack in his place. The sword had impaled Luneth! Using the last of his strength, Luneth grabbed hold of the blade in his side and pointed his free hand at the crystal monster. A pillar of fire erupted where it was standing, engulfing it completely. Zidane stared, wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him. "_H-how did Luneth save me?_" He looked over at the Zidane impostor, who was still standing like a statue in the same spot where it apparantly killed Luneth. As he watched, it shattered into shards of ice.

"H-hey." Luneth stuttered as the flames died down, bringing Zidane's attention back to him. He was still holding the blade in his side.

"You could have run! W-why didn't you..." Luneth collapsed, but was caught in the arms of Zidane before he hit the floor. "_He beat both of them! I was useless!_" Zidane cradled the dying boy in his arms, looking down at his wound.

"T-this?" Luneth coughed, gritting his teeth at the agony he felt. "This is n-nothing compared to that acorn." His voice was now little more than a whisper. Zidane felt so helpless. Luneth was dying because of him! Suddenly, the injured boy caught hold of Zidane's tail. To the older boy's shock, his touch was gentle, so he did not withdraw it, but instead he half curled it over luneth's hand who smiled as he looked up at Zidane through misty eyes. "I've wanted to...wanted t-to do that s-since we met." Luneth gasped, forcing a smile as he slipped into darkness. Zidane stared down at the boy, his eyes wide and tear-filled.

He really did love it when people touched his tail.

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Weeeeeeeeeell that was part 2 :P What's gonna happen next? Not even i know! (I so do!) Please tell me what you think ^^


	3. Part Three

Hey everyone! I'm soooo sorry about the wait for this next chapter. Three things of relative hinderance occured: firstly, the dreaded system 32 murdered my pc, so i had to delete everything and reinstall it all. Secondly, me moving back in with my folks turned out to not be such an awesome idea (big news) so i've been preparing to move yet again and lastly was totally my fault; i dislocated my arm putting a hoodie on...i suck, i know :/ Anyway, i'm all better now, as is my PC (Kinda) and good news is i've had the time to map out like half of the entire plot for this story. I'll be suprised if i have any reader left but hey ho ^^ Here goes...

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**Part Three - Out of the Frying Pan**

The room was gigantic. Made of the most brilliant crystal, it stood as the largest and most impressive room of the aptly named 'Crystal Tower'. The false master of this tainted tower lay on its cold floor, his blood pooling around him. Luneth looked upon him with mild relief and a profound sense of guilt. Though it meant saving the world, killing still didn't sit right with him. He was snapped out of his trance by something in the corner of his eye.

"Oh God, no!" He saw Ingus fall to his knees, a thin veil of smoke rising from his shoulders. Ingus had allowed a spell to hit him so that Luneth and the others could gain the upper hand. Luneth rushed over to him, catching him, but stumbling under the older boy's weight.

"Ingus! A-are you alright?" Luneth desperately scanned his friend's face until his saw him wince.

"L-luneth," He struggled onto his side. "I'm f-fine!" He hissed as he attempted to move. "where are the o-others?" Luneth's eyes widened as he scanned the room. His attention was drawn to a sound coming from closest wall. It was the sound of sobbing. Refia had her hands held to a huge wound in the abdomen of Arc, who was leaned against the wall, his eyes misty and lifeless. She was sobbing as she cast spell after spell to try and save her friend.

"No! Arc!" Luneth dashed over to him, falling to his knees and sliding to his best friend's side. "Refia, let me see." He wimpered, his voice weak.

"N-no! I can still save him! She sobbed. Luneth moved her aside and saw the blood. He saw the wound. He saw his breath caught in his chest...he saw the death in his eyes. Luneth gasped and fell backwards, the vacuum being filled hastilly by refia, who continued her hysterical attempts at revival. Luneth turned his head to see that Ingus had become very still. _'Not Ingus...'_ He thought. He collapsed on the cold, crystal floor, his eyes clouded by tears. He shifted his leg and felt something press against it inside his pocket. He drew it out and saw a small phial, containing a flouresent liquid. Realisation struck him. "I can save them," he murmered as he scrambled to his feet. "I can save them!" He pointed his hand at ingus. If this was to work then it needed to be fast! "I'm so sorry but i have to...Aero!" a sudden gust of wind blasted Ingus from the ground, catapulting him towards refia and Arc. With speed befitting that of an Onion Knight, he dashed over to where Ingus would land and threw the phial at the ground, enveloping the four in a bright cloud. He couldnt see or hear a thing. Every fibre of him was certain that the fog would clear to reveal the bodies of his friends and refia sobbing amongst them, but he so loved those rare occasions when he was wrong. A pair of strong arms pulled at his waist, dragging him out the cloud. Before he could orientate himself, he was staring into Ingus' bright blue eyes.

"I owe you my life, Luneth." He said softly as he hugged him tight. Luneth closed his eyes tight and held on to Ingus.

"I...i just couldn't bear the thought of you not being there any more." He whimpered into his shoulder. He drew back and saw the blush on His older friend's face.

"Don't you ever tire of saving me, Luneth?" A familiar voice sounded to the right of them. Luneth turned his head to see Arc standing there, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "Those megaelixirs are something else, huh?" Before the sentence had properly left his mouth a hand slapped him across the face. A hand belonging to a distraught Refia. "Hey! What was that fo-"

"You just died and now you're laughing and joking?" Refia whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Ingus, i'd slap you too but you might drop Luneth!" She wailed as she collapsed to her knees. Ingus, now realising he was still holding Luneth, put him down and tried not to let him see the blush that had crept across his face. The three gathered round refia, safe in the knowledge that they had made it. If only that had been true. They thought the nightmare had ended there...but it was just the start.

"No!" Luneth sat bolt upright, throwing his arms forward and holding on for dear life. He was sweating and the corners of his eyes were wet with tears. "Help!" He whimpered as he buried his head into soft fabric.

"Woah, woah! Easy buddy!" He felt gentle arms wrap around him, one of them holding the back of his head. Luneth sobbed into the chest of whoever was holding him. "Calm down, it's okay. It's all okay, Luneth. Open your eyes." The familiar voice said softly into his ear. Luneth felt himself calming down so he drew back and opened his eyes, ashamed to look up because of the lack of control he had shown. He slowly looked up to see a pair of deep, concerned eyes staring back at him. the owner of the eyes bought his tail up next to his face and swayed it from side to side to mimic waving. "Hi." He said quietly. a smile raced across Luneth's lips as he looked at Zidane, his eyes burning with the fire of excitement.

"Zidane!" He yelled as he threw himself forward again, but this time stopping halfway and wincing at an intense pain in his stomach. "Ah!" He yelped. Zidane, who had been sitting on the edge of his bed leapt forwards and slowly lowered Luneth into a lying position.  
"Hey, take it easy!" Zidane said as he settled Luneth against the pillow. Making sure he was comfy, Zidane then sat at a wooden chair that was next to the bed and looked upon his new friend. Luneth tilted his head and stared back at him.

"Where are we?" Luneth asked as he surveyed the room. the two boys were in a lavish bedroom with intimidating stone walls and a luxury silk-lined bed. "What happened to me?"

"Well, that's a long story-" zidane was cut off as the large, wooden door to the room creaked open. The two stared at it in interest but nobody entered. Zidane sighed and rolled his eyes. "I know you're there, Bartz! I can smell you." Luneth looked at Zidane in confusion.

"You remembered my smell?" a brown-haired boy entered the room, looking disturbed. "That's kinda creepy, Zidane." Bartz's attention was drawn to the bed, where a young boy was watching them in acute interest. "Oh, he's awake!" Bartz scrambled back to the door, nearly tripping over himself. "He's awake!" He shouted into the corridor. "Luneth's awake!" He reentered the room and walked around to the other side of Luneth's bed. "Hi, i'm Bartz! Nice to meetcha, Luneth!" He stuck his hand out to the speechless Luneth, who looked down at it to see him withdraw it slightly. "Wait...you can't smell me too can you?" he asked, dusting himself down.

"Why are you so wierd?" Zidane piped up from the other side of the bed. Bartz scowled at him and stuck his hand out again. Luneth took it and shook, still trying to find the words.

"H-how do you know my name?" Luneth asked softly. Bartz shot a look over to zidane, who began to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"Zidane told us, of course!" He gave a sincere smile as he walked back over to the other side of the bed and leaned towards the tailed boy. "He told us and told us and told us...ouch!" He was cut off as Zidane elbowed him in the ribs.

"I-i was worried, is all! didn't want you to die because of me. Well, i didn't want you to die at all...obviously." He started to stumble in conversation, much to Bartz's delight.

"Oh, i hear the others coming!" Bartz exclaimed as he exited the room to meet them, leaving the two alone. Luneth tilted his head towards Zidane, his expression showing how confused he was. Zidane gave him an 'all-will-be-explained-in-time' look and a weak little smile. Luneth smiled back at him and gasped as he felt something soft brush against his side. Zidane blushed and brought his tail out from under the sheets, holding it with one of his hands.  
"sorry," He mouthed. "It has a mind of it's own!" He explained. They were interupted by the door swinging open once again, granting entry to three new faces. It had begun.

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Well there we go! Please tell me what you think, if there are any of you left that is . Anyways more very soon i promise ^^

Peace out,

-SPoP


	4. Part Four

Hey, everyone! This will have been the first part that gets posted when i actually intend it to :) I thought it was important since there were still people awesome enough to review even after all this time! Thanks guys, this one's for you :P

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**Part Four - Deception**

"Gah!" Zidane was thrown to the ground, hitting it with some considerable force. He stared up at the crystal clear sky and the white hot sun. His head fell to the side and he looked at the glorious backdrop for this battle: He was lying on the grounds of a titanic castle, it's turrets reaching high enough to pull the Gods from their thrones. He groaned in frustration as he rolled onto his side.

"You would protect what you vare for with such a fragile will!" A voice sounded as a shadow fell upon Zidane. He gasped and rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the point of a sheild, thrown with deadly accuracy. Zidane jumped backwards, kicking up a thick cloud of dust as he did so. He settled into a combat stance and stared intently at the cloud that slowly fell like a curtain, revealing the armour-clad warrior of cosmos walking towards him, his cold gaze locked on the tailed boy's.

"_Wow, he sure is intense!_" Zidane thought as he scanned his opponent's movement, looking for any gaps he could take advantage of.

"Do you really think if i had a fault in my technique," He raised his sword and sheild. "That i would allow you to observe for so long?" Zidane gasped as suddenly the warrior was behind him, the tip of his sword pressing painfully against the soft skin of his neck. "Inaction breeds weakness!" He said in a monotone. "The weak fall to chaos in the end." He continued. Zidane choked as the blade pressed harder drawing blood.

"_He's going to kill me!"_

-Earlier that day-

Bartz was leaning against the sturdy wooden door, his arms folded over his chest as he watched three of his comrades walk down the cramped, stone corridor towards him.

"_So those are the new Cosmos warriors_?" He thought, his face contorting into one that showed concentration. "_I hope the kid can handle it. Although he was chosen by a Godess! I shouldn't doubt him._" The small, injured boy flashed through his mind. He brought his attention back to the three, who were now reaching him.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Terra?" A blonde-haired man asked, breaking away from the other two. A Smile crept up the side of Bartz's face. He didn't bother to raise his head and look at his comrade.

"Cloud, will you stop being such a stresshead!" He pushed himself off the door with his elbows and stood infront of the blonde-haired man, now matching his height. "What are you? Her boyfriend?" Bartz teased, his smile getting broader. Cloud ignored his comment and brushed him aside, entering the room behind him. Bartz smiled at the other two.

"Why do you enjoy antagonising him so much?" The second asked the manic teen, sensing Cloud's annoyance at Bartz.

"Do i need a reason, Firion?" Bartz chucked, catching the gaze of the third and final person, who was not amused. He walked over to the door, his armor clinking and scraping as he did so. He gave firion a look as he entered, signalling him to follow. Firion gave Bartz a 'you'd-better-get-back-to-Terra' stare and followed the armoured one into the room. "_Wow. that light warrior guy is kinda scary._" Bartz thought as he sauntered down the corridor, in no real rush to fulfill the task he was given. As he walked he heard the door click behind him, but before he had time to turn a pair of strong arms grabbed him and pushed him back against the cold, stone wall. He yelped with surprise and looked into the glowing blue eyes of his attacker. "Oh, h-hey Cloud!" Bartz stuttered as he looked into Cloud's stern eyes. The older man gave Bartz a stare he knew all too well.

"Care to explain why you have to be like that infront of the others?" Cloud hissed, trying to keep his voice down. Bartz smiled and took a step forward, pushing cloud back with his chest.

"Do you think this tough guy act scares me?" Cloud's eyes burned with anger as Bartz teased further. "Wanna know my secret to dealing with people like you?" Bartz chuckled, making cloud look nervously over to the door he had came from, hoping the others weren't hearing. "I just imagine you naked, not so scary then." He giggled as Cloud recoiled slightly, his eyes scanning Bartz's face intensely.

"One of these days.." Cloud used his superior strength to push Bartz against the wall again. "Your attitude is gonna get you killed." Cloud whispered, his gaze burning into Bartz's soul. Bartz opened his mouth to retaliate but found himself unable to as Cloud closed the gap between them. Bartz immediately felt all the blood rush to his head as he went weak against Cloud's grip, allowing himself to be held against the wall. He felt hands sifting through his hair roughly as Cloud kissed him. Cloud pulled back, making the now messy-haired, red-cheeked Bartz stumble forwards. Cloud released him and ran the back of his hand down Bartz's face. "Then what would i do, huh?" Cloud whispered. He turned and returned to the room, closing the door behind him. Now alone and flustered, Bartz steadied himself against the wall, trying to compose himself. He looked up at the door and ran his tongue over his bottom lip, still tasting that familiar taste. He smiled and walked off, a pronounced spring in his step.

"_I love it when he does that!_" Bartz thought as he turned the corner, taking one last look down the corridor. "_I'm just not a fan of secrets._" He inwardly sighed, feeling the faintest whisper of sadness.

-5 minutes earlier-

Zidane looked over from Luneth to Cloud, who had just entered the room Luneth was resting in. He smiled at him, earning a nod from Cloud, who walked over to the foot of the bed and stared across at Luneth, who shifted around to face him.

"My name's Luneth." He said, wincing a little from the pain in his side. Cloud nodded at him, evaluating the extent of his injuries.

"Cloud. It's a pleasure." He droned as he stared down at Luneth's wound.

"_Okay, that was a little disingenuous._" Luneth thought, immediately taking a dislike to the tall blonde, who realised his own sarcasm.

"That was a brave thing that you did." He said to Luneth, catching him off guard. Luneth blushed and looked over at Zidane, who was looking everywhere but in his direction.

"Oh..so you heard about that." Luneth said quietly, looking down at his bedsheets. Cloud nodded and looked over at Zidane.

"Yeah, you were lucky you were with Zidane. Not a lot of people would do what he di..." He was cut off when he saw Zidane desperately trying to get his attention.

"Don't tell him." The tailed boy mouthed. Luneth's head snapped up as he gave Cloud a questioning look.

"What did he do?" Luneth asked, switching between Cloud and Zidane, both of whom had gone very silent. Luneth narrowed his eyes at Zidane, and tried to interrogate him further when they were interupted by the door swinging open, allowing the warrior of light to enter. He nodded at Cloud.

"I ask you to try and get on with him." The intimidating man said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "He is our comrade." Cloud knew he was referring to Bartz. A sudden stab of guilt shot through him as he thought back to how dismissive he had been in the corridor.

"_If you want to keep him, you'd better get out there!_" Cloud thought as he nodded and inwardly cheered at the fact that he would get to go talk to Bartz alone. The blonde walked over to the door and passed Firion, who looked at him quizzingly. Cloud ignored him and left the room, leaving the two boys with Firion and the warrior. Zidane stood and extended his hand to the two, giving a smile as he did so.

"Hi, i'm Zidane! This is..."

"Save the introductions for after you have been tested." The warrior said in a demanding voice. Zidane recoiled slightly and his tail dropped. Luneth stared at the warrior and then at Zidane, who seemed intimidated at this point. Firion looked nervously at the warrior and then back to Zidane.

"Tested?" Luneth asked, gaining the attention of the three. "What does this test include?" He asked, the concern for his friend showing. Zidane looked at him and smiled in appreciation. Luneth smiled back, feeling an unexplained warmth.

Firion stepped forward. "You will fight with him." He said, noddiong his head towards the armoured man. Luneth gasped.

"What! why?" Luneth asked, kicking the bed sheets off and being punished by severe wound pain. He choked a little, gaining the attention of Zidane who rushed to his side.

"Luneth! You alright?" He patted him on the back, encouraging him to raise his head. Luneth nodded gratefully and looked up at the two tall men.

"why must he fight you?" Luneth stuttered, looking past Zidane and into the stern eyes of the warrior. At that moment the door creaked open and cloud entered, looking slightly flustered, but he didnt take any focus off the matter at hand.

"Hey, it's okay." Zidane interupted, putting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "i'll fight you." He continued, looking up at the two and earning a gasp from Luneth.

"Zidane, no!..." Luneth tried to get up, but was stopped by Zidane, who smiled at him.

"Please wait for me, i'll be out soon." He said to the warrior as he nodded and walked over to the door, beckoning the other two to follow. Before the door closed behind firion he looked back apologetically. The door closed and once again the two were alone. Zidane sat on the bed and crossed his legs, his tail resting idly in his lap. Luneth was not looking at him, but Zidane could see that he was grinding his teeth. Zidane was looking for the right words. He didnt know why, but it was important that Luneth believed him. It was important that he and Luneth were on good terms. Zidane was snapped out of his thoughts when Luneth looked at him.

"What am i not being told?" Luneth asked, staring into the tailed boy's eyes.

"Nothing. Honest!" Zidane lied, not liking being under the scrutiny of the young boy. Luneth winced at the pain in his stomach. "Please rest...I was worried enough without you pushing yourself." Luneth looked over at him, feeling a little groggy from the pain. "It looks like your medicine is kicking in." Zidane said in little more than a whisper as he made the silver-haired boy comfy.

"You were worried?" Luneth asked, feeling a heat in his face. Zidane started playing with his tail, deliberately not looking at him.

"Of course." He stuck his tail out towards the young boy. "We're friends, right?" Luneth smiled and nodded. He was worn out and needed rest, but didn't want to leave this be.

"Please don't fight." He whimpered, his eyes forcing themselves shut. He grabbed onto Zidane's tail gently as he reluctantly closed his eyes. Zidane sighed and stared at his sleeping friend, who was still holding his tail.

"I have to, but i can't tell you why. Not just yet." He carefully slipped his tail out from the sleeping Luneth's grasp and exited the room. _"Does he intend to test me?" _Zidane carefully closed the door. "_Or does he want to kill me...for what i did?_" He set off for the future.

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Well, well! The story is hopefully becoming interesting now! A surprise pairing (for you, that is. I'd planned to do that for ages!) AND a secret :P I wonder what it could be :D I hope you all enjoyed, thanks again to those who reviewed ^^ More soon (Now that i've began to establish some kind of rythm!)

Laters,

-SPoP


	5. Part Five

Hello again, everyone! Thanks to those who reviewed ^^ I'm pretty pleased that i managed to get this up this soon despite preparing to move again :D Ready for another? :D

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**Part Five - Two Wrongs...**

Zidane had never really thought about death. His sunny demeanour protected him at least from that morbid certainty: All things die eventually. He'd seen much of it in his short life, but had never contemplated his own end. Now that he stood on the edge of life and death, his cold, steel murderer pressed against the warm flesh of his neck, he could do nothing but await what came. He had not even struggled against his attacker, yet he was not paralysed with fear. His memory was hazy, but this may have been the only serene moment of his life. He relaxed into his attacker's grip, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Y-you are not afraid?" The blade was pulled away from the teen's neck, allowing him to slump forward slightly. Zidane took this oppurtunity to slip out of the warrior's grasp and turn to face him. He scanned the light warrior's face, confused by the sadness that painted his features. Zidane shook his head, not lowering his guard for even a second. "Tell me," The warrior started as he lowered his weapon. "Why do you not fight me at full strength?" Zidane relaxed, backing out of his combat stance and dropping his weapons, watching as they fell against each other.

"My instincts tell me you can't kill me, i guess." Zidane shrugged apologetically. He thought now that he had known he was safe all along. The warrior gave a sigh of frustration.

"I do not have the right to take your light from you, when it shines so brightly." Zidane looked confused. He didn't understand what he meant, but felt he'd be pushing his luck if he asked.

"He can't do it because he knows you're a good guy!" An unfamiliar voice blasted across the courtyard, bouncing off the thick, stone walls of the castle. Zidane pinpointed the source of the sound. He saw a man with sandy, brown hair strolling towards him, clutching a curious blade. Zidane noticed it retained the shape of a sword, a sharp one at that, but it seemed to be made out of water. He walked past the warrior of light, who did his best to ignore him but was clearly agitated by his presence. He stuck his hand out to Zidane. "Tidus, nice to meetcha Zidane." He smiled. On anyone else this smile would have looked forced, but Tidus looked sincere.

"How do you know..." Tidus reached forward and grabbed his hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

"Luneth told me." He smiled again, letting go of his hand. "I just went to see the little guy. There's one heck of a buzz round here since you two showed up!" He exclaimed.

"Why are you here?" The warrior asked, making the two aware of his presence. Tidus looked over at him and smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"Curiosity, i guess!" He twirled round to face the older man. "I hear from the little guy that you wanted a fight with zidane, here." He patted Zidane on the head, earning a grunt of annoyance. "So i came to see what was happening. To be honest, i don't remember you fighting with me when i showed up, or anyone else, for that matter." He patted his finger against the hilt of his sword as he walked over to the man. "So why Zidane?" Zidane was listening intently at this point. At first it just seemed like tidus liked to talk, but not a word was wasted. This showed in the look on the warrior's face, who looked past Tidus, at the tailed-boy.

"I apologise, Zidane. Perhaps battle has made me untrusting." Before his words could sink in, the warrior turned and headed back to the castle. Zidane felt a jolt of relief, but at the same time he had the nagging feeling that the Warrior had not been truthful. Tidus laughed and turned away, abandoning his momentary seriousness. Zidane saw his face as he turned. Just for a second, there was a flicker of concern in his eyes as they locked onto Zidane. There was an uneasy silence as Tidus approached him, before he stood in front of him and spread his arms.

"Welcome to your new home, comrade!" Tidus smirked. Zidane raised an eyebrow.

"What? We can't stay here!" Zidane choked. Tudus turned away from him and started to walk back to where he came from.

"Oh yeah? And where is 'here' exactly?" He picked up the pace, distancing himself from Zidane, who stood there pondering the question. Tidus had a point. He didn't even know where he was. He knew Tidus had the answers, and he knew that Tidus knew that he knew this.

_"This guy is smarter than he looks"_ Zidane thought as he growled slightly. "Hey! Wait up!" Zidane started to catch Tidus up, who threw his head back and laughed in an 'i-knew-you'd-do-that' kind of way.

"No point folowing me now!" He shouted, stopping Zidane in his tracks. "Unless you wanna watch me swim?" Zidane stumbled, his words catching in his mouth. Tidus laughed at him, causing him to growl again.

"You're quite irritating, you know that?" Zidane snapped, fully aware of the pink shading on his cheeks. Tidus chucked again and continued his walk around the side of the castle.

"Yeah, i know." He giggled as he disappeared behind a wall. "Meet me in the little guy's room later!" He shouted around the corner. "I'll explain it to you both then!" Zidane didn't bother to answer. He scraped his foot against the ground, kicking up some dust.

_"These guys are crazy! I'd better see if Luneth's okay"_

Bartz held the object up, scrutinizing it with mild interest. It was small, too small for him, and red, with the most brilliant white feathers fixed to it. Bartz sighed and took a look out of the window.

_"hmm, seems like rain."_ He thought, brushing the curtains away with the back of his hand. In the distance he could see thick cloud rolling towards them, as if it was consuming the sky. Bartz smiled, if there was anything he liked more than the sunny days, it was the rainy ones. A noise inside the room caused him to turn round. On the bed Luneth lay sleeping, making the occasional sigh and mumble. Bartz leaned against the wall, yelping slightly as the cold bricks touched his skin. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned his head back . "_Bored bored bored!"_ He yelled inwardly, cursing his luck at being the first on guard duty. There was a faint knock at the door. Being careful to be quiet, Bartz gently pushed off the wall and walked over to the door, opening it slightly. He wanted to avoid the creak it made when opened all the way if possible. He peered through the gap in the door and saw a pair of vibrant, mako blue eyes staring back at him. His heart skipped a beat but he tried not to sound too happy. "Hey Cloud." Bartz said, trying to keep himself in check. Cloud looked puzzled.

"Ummm, can i come in?" Bartz nodded and moved out the way of the door.

"Be quiet! Luneth's asleep!" He whispered. Cloud nodded as he entered the room, wincing as his giant sword bashed off the door frame. Bartz rolled his eyes and carefully shut the door after he entered. "Why is it you never make that much noise when you can be as loud as you want?" He scolded, his irritation apparant. He walked over to the far corner of the room and stood by the window, feeling that this was a safe distance to use indoor voices. Cloud walked over to him and smiled a little.

"So they were right," Cloud started, grabbing Bartz's attention. "You _did_ get stuck with guard duty." he smiled at Bartz. Bartz sighed and stared out the window.

"Don't remind me! I'm bored out of my skull here." He stopped, examining cloud, noting that he had a raincloak and his sword. Cloud suddenly became concious of the fact he was being studied. "Going somewhere?" Bartz asked. Cloud nodded, a look of annoyance painted his features.

"I'm on patrol tonight. It hasn't been long since we secured this place so we need to be sure it's safe, apparantly." Bartz's face fell slightly. He had planned to spend the evening with Cloud but hadn't told him yet. He swallowed his disappointment and cleared his features of emotion.

"So why are you here now?" He asked, looking Cloud in the eyes. Cloud fidgeted on the spot, looking down at the floor.

"Well, I won't be around tonight." Cloud answered. Bartz smirked, cloud was being as indirect as ever. He would uncover Cloud's soft side even if it killed him!

"So?" Bartz asked, knowing full well what Cloud was getting at. He wanted to hear it from him. Cloud writhed in discomfort as he tried to answer the question. Bartz smiled and looked down in defeat. He walked up to Cloud and pulled him into a hug.

"I'll miss you too." Bartz whispered, earning a almost inaudible gasp from Cloud, who tightened his grip on the brown-haired boy. "You'd better go," Bartz said, looking up at him. "Tidus is taking over soon and he might see you here and use his brain and before you know it, everybody knows about us." Cloud nodded, turning away and carefully walking towards the door, as to not wake the sleeping knight. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Bartz murmered. Cloud pretended he hadn't heard as he left the room, leaving bartz with Luneth. Bartz sighed and walked over to the window again. The clouds were a lot closer now. Bartz smiled and leaned against the wall again. _"Bad night to be on patrol"_ He thought.

* * *

Okay, so that's done! This part was needed i feel just to bridge the beginning to the main story. This is where it all starts to happen! What the deal with Zidane? Why did WOL want to fight him? coming soon :D

Next time: Luneth and Zidane are reunited as they learn about their situation and the divine war. Also, patrol duty isnt as routine as Cloud first expected.

Please tell me what you think ^^ this is where things really start to pick up :D


	6. Part Six

Because somebody submitted a review asking for more :)

-SPoP

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**Part 6 **

The storm had died down as fast as it started, leaving an unnaturally clear and tranquil night in its wake. One of the light warriors had taken this opportunity to have some time to himself. The heavy-set warrior stood, staring out over the vast lake that lay at the proud castle's feet. He'd always found himself to have a calm mind, but with the latest events he was confused, for the first time in a long time. He contemplated sitting down, to stare out over the beautiful lake, but thought better when it became apparent that one of the others might see. This, for some reason was unacceptable to him. He squinted as the moonlight hit the water, reflecting the silver light straight into his eyes. He raised a hand to shield his view, but quickly retracted it.

"You spend most of your time harping on about the light, but it hurts your eyes just as it does mine." A deep, menacing voice sounded next to him. The warrior gasped and spun on his heels, drawing his weapon as he did so. Less than six feet away stood an enormous knight, his titanic weapon resting on his shoulder. The warrior locked himself into a combat stance.

"You are very brave, coming here where we are in full force, Garland!" He hissed, never removing his gaze from his foe. Garland threw his shoulders back in theatrical laughter. He made a sweeping gesture with one of his metal-clad hands.

"That is why I will not fight you now. I can defeat you all, but that would take all night." Garland laughed. The warrior narrowed his eyes.

"This false arrogance is ill-suited to you. I am not the type to rise to such feeble attempts at goading. Why are you here?" He asked, his voice little more than a whisper. He is the most powerful warrior of light for a reason. Garland bowed his head slightly, his armour scraping as he did so.

"You have something that belongs to us." He said, getting straight to the point. The warrior opened his stance a little.

"So I was right." He said, his voice threatening to raise over the monotone he liked to maintain. Garland nodded. "However, the choice is not made yet."

"There are only two wills that hold any importance in this world!" Garland exclaimed as he let his sword fall from his shoulder, burrowing into the dirt of the hill as it hit the floor. "My god's will," He started to circle the warrior, the sword digging a trench as he walked. "And your God's will!" He hissed. The warrior kept his gaze locked on Garland as he circled him. "You were there, were you not? The night you found those two? You saw what happened, you know how things are supposed to go now." Garland lowered his voice further.

"Unless you are planning on dying tonight, I suggest you come back with a larger force!" The warrior snapped, his demeanour broken. Garland let out a deep laugh that shook his armour. He pulled his sword back onto his shoulder and started to walk away.

"We will get what is ours in the end. He belongs with us." With that, he was gone. The warrior stood there in silence, frozen in his combat stance, listening for his enemy. He was alone now, just him and the lake. He exhaled and dropped his weapons. They made a soft thud on the ground. The armoured man turned to face the lake once again, not squinting this time when the light his his eyes. He sat down cross-legged and rested his arms on his knees.

"_How do I proceed from here?"_

The room was warm as stuffy. The overpowering smell of sweat clung to the walls. Tidus pushed at the heavy window, groaning as it creaked open. Immediately a gust of fresh, cold air blew in. Tidus inhaled as it swept over his face.

"Man, that's better!" He exclaimed. He turned and saw Luneth sitting cross-legged on the bed, a frown painting his features and his arms folded over his chest. "C'mon, I had to open the window! It smelled really musty in here!" Luneth blushed and shot Tidus an angry look.

"I'm recovering, I can't wash right now!" Tidus raised his hands as he realised he'd embarrassed the boy.

"Sorry. It's not that bad, really, I..."

"It's fine." Luneth interrupted, signalling him to change the topic. Tidus leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. He let out a deep sigh.

"I told Zidane to meet us here. I know I was vague on the time but gheez this is ridiculous!" Tidus complained, turning his head and looking out the window at the moon. It had to be around midnight. Luneth was ringing his hands in his lap. Tidus could tell he was on edge. "Don't worry," Tidus walked over to the edge of the bed, "I'm sure he's fine!" Luneth smiled at him. For all he knew, Zidane had ran off and left him there. After all, he didn't actually know anything about him. Even though this was a distinct possibility, it pained Luneth to think about it.

"Maybe he's exploring." Luneth proposed, his pessimism apparent. Tidus nodded and smiled. Luneth could tell Tidus was humouring him but decided not to say anything.

"Can I ask you something?" Tidus asked, pulling a chair across the stone floor to the side of the bed. Luneth nodded as his eyes narrowed. He felt like he wasn't going to enjoy this.

"You can ask." Luneth said, wincing as the chair made a horrible scraping noise on the floor. "But I may not answer." Tidus frowned but accepted Luneth's answer.

"What's the deal with you and him?" Tidus asked. Luneth raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not entirely sure how you expect me to answer that." Luneth mocked. Tidus narrowed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands. Luneth sighed and met his gaze. "The _deal_ is he saved my life. I don't know how he did it but I was dying. Then, thanks to him I wasn't. I haven't had chance to speak to him properly since I woke up, but I'd like to know what he did. So I can pay him back one day." Tidus opened his mouth to inquire more. "That is the _deal_." Luneth interrupted.

"What's the deal?" A familiar voice rang from the open window. Tidus and Luneth looked towards the opening to see Zidane climb up and sit in the window arch. Luneth moved forward but winced at the pain still resident in his side.

"Z-zidane!" Luneth spluttered through the pain. Tidus rushed forwards and lay him against the headboard.

"Take it easy, little guy." Tidus warned, feeling slightly disappointed that he didn't get a proper answer to his question. Zidane jumped down from the window and walked over to the bed, sitting at the end of it. Luneth and Tidus both turned their heads to him. He averted his gaze from them for as long as he could manage.

"I fell to sleep, okay!" He snapped, blushing. Tidus sighed and leaned back on his chair. This was a far less exciting explanation than he was hoping for. Zidane looked over at Luneth, who smiled back at him. "You okay?" Zidane mouthed. Luneth nodded and smiled back. Tidus jumped out of his chair and started stretching.

"I know you two want to talk, but now that we're all here, shall we begin?" Tidus asked in an uncharacteristically professional manner. The two obliged and turned to face Tidus.

From where Cloud was standing, he could see for miles around. On a clear night like this, nobody was getting anywhere near the castle without him seeing. For once, he was actually glad to be given patrol. The storm had soaked him but now he stood at the highest point for miles around, just him and his thoughts. He took his sword from his back and stuck it into the ground in front of him, resting his arms on it as he surveyed the scene. His thoughts flitted back to his exchange with Bartz earlier that night. The disappointment in his eyes, his voice. Cloud lowered his head and squinted slightly. The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt with himself. Suddenly, he heard a sound he knew all too well; the squeak of wet grass under a boot. In one fluid movement, he pulled his sword from the ground and set himself in a combat stance. As soon he saw who it was, his stance weakened.

"Nice night." Bartz laughed as he saw Cloud weaken. As he walked he deliberately dragged his feet against the grass, showing Cloud that, had he wanted to he could have easily gotten the jump on him.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, unable to mask his happiness. Bartz presented him a dry raincloak.

"Thought you'd need this." He said, handing it to the bewildered blonde.

"T-thanks." Cloud looked up at his brown-eyed partner. The guilt in his stomach was rising. Cloud hated seeing Bartz sad, so the thought of the fault being his own was hard to deal with. Despite everything, Bartz just wanted him safe and happy.

"Give me your wet one. I'll take it back to my room to dry." Cloud handed it over, inwardly screaming at himself for not grabbing Bartz and never letting go. Bartz gave a weak smile and tried not to look him in the eyes, lest Cloud see how hurt he actually was. "I'll drop it by your room tomorrow when you're awake. He turned and walked off, folding the soaking raincloak in his arms. Cloud felt his body launch itself forward.

"B-bartz!" He shouted. Bartz stopped immediately, like a statue. Slowly, he turned around to face Cloud. He gave Cloud a questioning look. "Take it back to my room and please keep my bed warm for me. I hate getting into a cold bed after a long patrol." Bartz' heart skipped a beat, "Oh, and lets go to breakfast together tomorrow. Who cares what the others think." Without a word, Bartz nodded and started his journey back, his heart exploding within his chest. Cloud smiled and turned away, pleased with his decision. Cloud wasn't really sure what happened next, but one fact had become frighteningly apparent: He was bleeding. Heavily.

He tried to call out to Bartz, but he could not form any sound above an almost silent whimper. He looked down to see his body had been pierced by a bright yellow tentacle. He dropped to his knees, blood running down his chin as he slowly raised his head. He slipped into darkness.

* * *

Thank you for showing me that I should continue. More by the end of the week ^^

I realise there is a lot of set up here, but hopefully it wasn't boring.

-SPoP


	7. Part Seven

Thanks for reading. Got another part coming up ^^

-SPoP

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**Part 7 – Invasion**

Luneth let out a long, deep sigh as he leaned back against the headboard. He looked over at Zidane, who was sitting, cross-legged on the stone floor of the bedroom, a puzzled look on his face. The two had been sat in silence for a few minutes, allowing themselves time to come to terms with the gravity of the situation. Tidus viewed them with interest as he idly rapped his knuckles on the hard wood of the seat. The two had listened all the way through his lecture, without interruption. He looked down at Zidane, who was still deep in thought.

"_I guess this guy can get serious when the situation demands..." _He pondered. Finally, he rose from his chair, trying his best to make as much noise as possible. The two boys looked up at him as he stretched his arms out in a theatrical yawn. "Well," He groaned as he stepped over his chair. "I'm beat! I think I'm gonna leave you guys to talk this out. You did just find out you're the heroes of all existence, after all." He let out a weak laugh, though Luneth could see this knowledge was a heavy weight on his mind, too. Luneth smiled.

"_Not so cool, after all." _He thought. Tidus slipped out of the room and slowly pulled the door shut. Zidane could hear him let out a muffled sigh before he walked off. Silence descended on the two once more. Both of the boys not willing to break it. Finally, Zidane rolled onto his back and looked up at Luneth.

"Wow." He whimpered, recognising the simpering tone he just used. Luneth rolled onto his front and looked over the edge of the bed, to see his friend. Their eyes met for the first time since Tidus had started explaining their duty and they just stared. Each could see an emotion they recognised all too well. Fear. Zidane broke the silence once again. "Are you okay?" Luneth nodded and folded his arms under his chin.

"Saving the world was hard enough." He said, making Zidane smirk.

"Tell me about it." He propped himself up so he could better see Luneth. "We're kinda lucky, y'know.." Luneth furrowed his brow. Zidane took this as a prompt to explain himself. "We don't have a choice." Luneth's expression got more questioning. "If we had anywhere to run to, then that would be an option. But since we don't, all we can do is stay and fight." Luneth smiled in appreciation.

"I guess you're right. Shame, we could just disappear." He whispered. Zidane laughed. He knew that Luneth would never do that even if he had the choice. "Last time I had to fight, I had people who I travelled with. We journeyed for months until eventually." He trailed off. Zidane tried to make eye contact again, but Luneth resisted.

"Until?" Zidane pushed. Luneth sighed and turned onto his back, so he could no longer see Zidane. Luneth stretched his hand out in front of him and examined it, like it did not belong to him.

"Until I faced my worst nightmare." His voice cracked slightly. Zidane jumped up on the bed and sat in front of Luneth, who still refused to look at him.

"You weren't alone then," he tilted Luneth's head towards him. "You're not alone now...friend." A smile crept up the side of Luneth's face as he grabbed hold of Zidane's hand.

"Friend." He agreed as he shook his hand. _"I just hope you can survive her." _

- CASTLE PERIMETER -

"Gah!" Cloud fell to his knees, pain burning through him. He cried out as something pulled him back up on to his feet.

"This wound will not kill you right away." Cloud was pulled up so he had to stand on his tiptoes. He yelped as he felt blood running down his left leg. "But it will kill you." Through blurred vision, Cloud saw his attacker. It was the cloud of darkness. A twisted smile crept up her face as she pushed her tentacle into the teen's side. He screamed in pain, fuelling her enjoyment.

"W-why..." Suddenly, he was pulled fully off the ground, causing him immense pain. The cloud smiled and brought him close to her.

"Speak up boy." She hissed. Cloud coughed, expelling a lot of blood as he did.

"W-why are you here?" Cloud wheezed, as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. He was thrown to the ground, the tentacle leaving his side. The cloud looked down on him with disgust.

"You will be a distraction for us. Tonight is the night we turn the war in our favour." She laughed as she wrapped one of her tendrils around him and dragged him towards her, digging a trench in the wet ground as she did so. "Make no mistake, if you weren't useful alive, then I would have torn you to pieces by now." She hissed.

"B-bartz.." Cloud spluttered, now suffering blood loss. The cloud recoiled slightly, observing her pray.

"we saw that...encounter between you and the other hero. You intrigue us. We are certain now that you will serve as a good distraction for at least one of them." Her voice dropped to an inhuman low as she smiled once more.

-CASTLE GROUNDS-

Each step Bartz took on made a satisfying squeak on the wet grass as he made his way up to the gate of the castle. He was filled with an excitement he had never experienced before. Cloud had said it himself, with no prompting. He wanted people to know about them! Bartz could not contain his smile as he strolled up to the gate and into the courtyard. The _squeak _had now changed to a _crunch _as his feet made contact with the gravel. As he approached the small wooden door to the interior it creaked open and a man in brilliant white armour stepped out. Bartz took one hand out from under the Clouds rain cloak to wave at his ally. He had obviously gone unnoticed as the paladin yelped when he saw him. This, in turn caused Bartz to yelp.

"Woah, Cecil! It's only me!" Bartz chuckled. Cecil pulled his hand away from his blade and smiled.

"Bartz. I did not expect anyone to be out here this late!" He said, his tone getting warmer. Bartz gave him a sly look.

"God help you if I had have been the enemy." Bartz commented in a playful manner. Cecil smiled as he adopted a loose battle stance.

"No no, god help _you _If you had have been the enemy." He boasted. Bartz chuckled as he stepped back, allowing Cecil out of the doorway. He examined Bartz. "May I ask, why you are out at this time?" He inquired, glancing down at the wet rain cloak he was cradling in his arms. Bartz looked away, thankful that the lack of light was shielding his blush from view.

"I-i was just on my way back. I took a dry rain cloak out to Cloud." Cecil smiled at him.

"How thoughtful, Bartz. I'm sure it was much appreciated." Bartz smiled as he contemplated telling Cecil everything. He was almost disappointed that the knight did not question him further. Cecil was infinitely trusting of his companions, a quality Bartz had long respected in him. The two were pulled from their interaction when the silence was torn apart by a strange noise. Something heavy had hit the gravel at speed. It made a loud thud and a terrible grinding sound as it slid to a halt. Cecil and Bartz both swivelled round to face the source of the noise, each of them drawing their weapons. The two closed the gap between each other, covering different directions as they edged forward. The other side of the courtyard was shrouded in darkness and they couldn't see what had just made the dreaded sound. Cecil muttered something and a brilliant white light manifested above his head, illuminating the courtyard. There was a large mark in the gravel where the object had hit and entrenched itself. Bartz squinted to make out what it was.

"It looks like a...boulder?" He whispered, unsure of himself. A tight knot formed in his stomach. Cecil pointed forwards and the light jolted forwards, casting it's brilliant white light on the object. Suddenly, Bartz' heart exploded in his chest as he saw it for what it was. It was a person, wrapped in a filthy rain cloak, dyed dark with blood. A plume of blonde hair protruding from the top.

"No..." Cecil gasped as he stared on in horror. Bartz felt the knot in his stomach explode and fill every sense with fear. He let his weapon slip from his hand, making a dull thud as it hit the floor. He threw himself forwards. "Bartz, no!" Cecil hissed. Bartz ignored him, breaking into a sprint. He threw himself down on his knees , grinding to a halt next to Cloud. Cecil knew that Bartz was exposed. He called three more flash lights out and spread them over the courtyard, leaving no area unlit. He readied his weapon and hovered above the two, looking for his enemy. He knew they were vulnerable. Bartz let out a blood-curdling howl as he pulled the rain cloak away, filling the courtyard with his despair.

"Cloud!" He wailed as he stared down on the horror that confronted him. His partner had been beaten badly, his jaw had been broken, he was bleeding from his side. His arms were broken. His hair matted and saturated with his blood. Bartz stared on in horror, fear filling him up. He stared down at his love, broken and bloodied, and all went numb. He could hear a distant screaming that wouldn't stop. He shook his head to be free of it, but it was constant. He knelt there for what seemed like an eternity, staring at the horror show laid out before him. He felt himself being pulled away from his partner. He resisted, falling onto his stomach and digging his fingers into the gravel. But all he achieved was digging up lines in the floor. He felt himself being turned onto his back. The next thing he knew he was staring into Terra's eyes. He saw her gaze flick up from him to the site just beyond, and immediately a tear fell from her beautiful eye. She opened her mouth, but Bartz could not hear her words, they were muffled, like he was under water. She was shaking him, pleading him to say something. Bartz looked over her shoulder and saw that the courtyard was starting to fill. This managed to bring him back to reality, his ears clearing immediately. He sat bolt upright and scrambled onto all fours.

"Bartz!" Terra shouted. He looked over at her and she knew he could hear her. She pulled him up onto his feet, steadying him as he wobbled, his eyesight passing over Cloud's motionless body. He tried to struggle out of her grasp but she held him still. Firion and Tidus knelt over Cloud, frantically searching for any sign of life as Cecil darted around the high walls of the courtyard, trying to identify the attacker.

"Oh my...He's alive!" Firion yelled as he and Tidus stretched the rain cloak out like a stretcher. "We need to get him inside!" Bartz' breath caught in his throat at this revelation, but he did not have time to enjoy it. There was a bright flash of light as the air around Cecil caught fire, flinging him across the courtyard and slamming him into the hard concrete wall. More explosions erupted, this time inside the courtyard. Terra immediately cast a large barrier over Firion and Tidus as they carried Cloud back to the door. A hole opened in the barrier as a tall man in a dark coat lunged at Terra, his sword trained on her. It was Sephiroth

"No!" Bartz shouted as his partners enormous sword appeared in his hand. He rushed forward and made an upward sweep, forcing Sephiroth to block. The force of the strike threw him against a wall. Bartz looked over his shoulder to see that They had gotten cloud inside.

"Not bad." Sephiroth wheezed as he got to his feet. Before he had time to compose himself, Cecil had rushed him, throwing his spear. Sephiroth Barely dodged, wincing as the spear demolished the wall behind him. The dodge had cost him though as Bartz was upon him again, this time with a powerful kick, that threw him out of the courtyard via the hole Cecil had just made.

"You look like you could use some help," A condescending voice sounded from atop the high wall. There stood the emperor. Sephiroth didn't answer as he jumped up to join his ally.

"Regroup!" Cecil shouted, rallying Terra and Bartz. The three stood in formation, looking up in hatred.

"What did you do to him?!" Bartz shouted, his voice breaking.

"Tonight it ends." A deep voice sounded across the courtyard. There on the adjacent roof stood two large knights, one silver and one grey. "Tonight we end the war!"

* * *

That's it for now peeps. More very soon, though.

Btw, don't worry, this story is nowhere near finished yet. :D

-SPoP


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